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Movies / On DVD / House of Sand and Fog
House of Sand and Fog

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House of Sand and Fog (2003)

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Reviews Counted:166

Fresh:125

Rotten:41

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Powerful and thought provoking film.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some violence/disturbing images, language and a scene of sexuality

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 19, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $12,924,917

Synopsis: Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly star in the powerful drama HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG as two people fighting over the same house. Connelly is Kathy, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction... Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly star in the powerful drama HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG as two people fighting over the same house. Connelly is Kathy, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction and her husband's departure. Lost in her funk, she fails to check her mail, which includes letters threatening to evict her. After she is thrown out of the house she grew up in--wrongly, it turns out, so she seeks legal representation--Massoud Amir Behrani (Kingsley) buys the property at auction with the goal of selling it at a huge profit so his family can live a better life. Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian army, is determined to make his family's move to the United States a successful one--nothing matters more to him than his wife and son's well-being. But when he sees Kathy sleeping in a car outside his fence, he knows he is in for a fight. Based on the book by Andre Dubus III, Vadim Perelman's directorial debut is a fascinating study of family in the United States. Kathy has no one to turn to--her father is dead, her husband has abandoned her, and she's too frightened to seek help from her mother or brother. She falls for Lester (Ron Eldard), a deputy sheriff who claims to no longer love his wife. And Behrani is so dedicated to his wife (Shohreh Aghidashloo in a riveting performance) and son (Jonahtan Ahdout) that he blinds himself to Kathy's dire situation. HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is a relentless, thought-provoking work that will linger with audiences long after the film ends. [More]

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Ahdout

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Ahdout, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens, Navi Rawat

Director: Vadim Perelman

Director: Vadim Perelman
Screenwriter: Vadim Perelman, Shawn Otto
Producer: Michael London, Vadim Perelman
Composer: James Horner
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

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Release:

Mar 30, 2004

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Reviews for House of Sand and Fog

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101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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This is an unforgettable portrait of decent, well-meaning, conflicted people moved to frustration, helplessness and grief.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
12/26/03
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

For his feature-film debut Russian director Vadim Perelman delivers a brilliantly acted downer.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
12/26/03
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

It is powerful, powerful stuff.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
12/26/03
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

It's difficult to imagine that Kingsley could top his blistering performance in Sexy Beast, but here it is.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
12/26/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/25/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Perelman has directed Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, who play Kathy and Behrani, respectively, in the performances of their careers.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
12/25/03
Detroit Free Press

This is not pleasant stuff, but it's important, and thoroughly heart-wrenching.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
12/25/03
Bill Gallo
Bill Gallo
Dallas Observer

An alarmingly resonant piece of work, and there is much in it to brood on. It's also one of the most unpleasant experiences I've had at a film in ages.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
12/25/03
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

Pacific Heights with Oscar aspirations.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
12/25/03
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
12/25/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

For all its flaws ... House of Sand and Fog is a quietly devastating film.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
12/25/03
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Reveals the deep, dark meaning of a botched real estate transaction.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
12/25/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

House of Sand and Fog is spellbinding in its storytelling and chest-collapsing in its horror. It’s a difficult film to watch and a far-more thorny one to walk out of.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/24/03
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

This is the movie The Hours should have been. Proof that you can tell a melancholy story with tragic characters, but provide dramatic bite and compelling entertainment.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
12/24/03
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

It's a film...absent of easy black-or-white ethics, which makes for some powerful emotions. But it's also a film with nagging problems that add up to a distracting crescendo.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
12/24/03
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The human drama captured in this film is some of the most poignant and insightful of the year.... Even in improbable situations, these characters feel like real people.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
12/24/03
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

The film's stark edifice is buttressed by sublime performances from Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/24/03
John P. McCarthy
John P. McCarthy
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

House of Sand and Fog is the diametric opposite of stuff like Enough and Double Jeopardy, and I mean that as a very large compliment.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/24/03
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

What's that old saying about possession and the law?

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
12/24/03
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

The picture's greatest strength is the way it shifts our loyalties from one character to the next, never allowing us to view either [person] as a villain (or hero) for long.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
12/23/03
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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